Luggage side panel

ABSTRACT

A suitcase has a plurality of walls at least one of which is rigid. The walls defining a storage space. The one wall is formed of a side panel of relatively soft moldable plastic and a plurality of fiber-glass rods imbedded in the panel and rigidifying it. Such a system is normally used where the suitcase has two such similar side panels extending parallel to and spaced from each other.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a piece of luggage. More particularly this invention concerns a side panel for a wheeled suitcase.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical suitcase has a plurality of side walls, one of which can be opened, and that together define a closable space adapted to hold the personal effects of the user. So-called hard luggage normally has at least two opposite walls formed of a rigid material so as to better protect the contents, and rigid side panels are essential on a wheeled suitcase to provide enough stability to roll it.

Thus a wheeled suitcase typically has two rigid side panels at the bottom of each of which in one corner there is a wheel on a fixed axle. At the top of such a suitcase there is a handle that is also typically connected by rigid structure to the two side panels so that the user can roll the suitcase behind him or herself.

In designing the side panels there is a tradeoff between strength and rigidity on the one hand and manufacturing cost and weight on the other. The normal solution is therefore to compromise and provide a side panel formed as a single piece of molded plastic, typically formed with rigidifying ribs. The plastic is normally something easy to mold and relatively inexpensive, like polyethylene or propylene. Such a side panel is moderately strong and does not excessively add to the fabrication costs for the suitcase. Use of stronger resins, e.g. polyurethane or Kevlar would make the suitcase unmarketably expensive.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved piece of luggage.

Another object is the provision of such an improved piece of luggage that overcomes the above-given disadvantages, in particular that is particularly strong and durable, but still inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object is to provide an improved wheeled suitcase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A suitcase has according to the invention a plurality of walls at least one of which is rigid. The walls defining a storage space. The one wall is formed of a side panel of relatively soft moldable plastic and a plurality of fiber-glass rods imbedded in the panel and rigidifying it. Such a system is normally used where the suitcase has two such similar side panels extending parallel to and spaced from each other.

With this arrangement the side panels, which take a severe beating as the suitcase is dropped on its lower end, are very strong, but still of fairly inexpensive construction. The panels are formed of an inexpensive and relative soft plastic like polypropylene or polyethylene, while the reinforcing rods are made of a much harder normally thermosetting resin, e.g. a polyamide, reinforced with very strong glass fibers.

In addition this reinforcement system has the considerable advantage that it also offers significant protection against damage from the side to the suitcase. Thus if something impacts the suitcase from the side, the panel will not simply cave in. This is particularly important in a rolling suitcase having a telescoping handle arrangement, as it is fairly common for a side impact to damage the handle guides and make it impossible to extend the handle.

The suitcase according to the invention also has a rigid top panel bridging upper ends of the side panels and a rigid bottom panel bridging lower ends of the side panels. Wheels are secured at the lower ends of the side panels.

The side panels according to the invention are formed with integral ridges. The fiber-glass rods are imbedded in the ridges. This can be done by molding the ridges around the rods, or by molding the ridges with throughgoing passages into which the rods are fitted after curing of the side-panel resin.

The rods can be of rectangular section with the long dimension oriented perpendicular to the plane of the panel so the panel is more resistant to bending in the critical direction perpendicular to its plane. This feature, as mentioned, above, offers particular protection for the suitcase's handle guides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are front and back perspective views of the principal parts of a wheeled suitcase according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a side panel for the suitcase;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the side panel;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the panel;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sections taken along respective lines VI-VI and VII-VII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a large-scale view of the detail indicated at VIII in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a large-scale view of the detail indicated at IX in FIG. 6.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

A rolling suitcase 10 according to the invention has a generally parallelepipedal body comprised of a pair of normally upright side panels 12, an L-section top panel 14, and a profiled bottom panel 16 formed with cutouts 18 adapted to hold wheels 17. These parts 12, 14, 16 are covered with a textile having a slide fastener so that one side can be opened. A handle assembly 20 is connected between the top panel 14 and bottom panel 16 and can telescope upward as is well known in the art.

The side panels 12 are spectrally identical, one of them being shown in FIGS. 3 through 9. The side panel 12 is formed primarily of a relatively cheap and soft plastic, for example polypropylene or polyethylene. It has a basically planar sheet 22 formed with longitudinally extending integral ribs or ridges 24 and transversely extending integral ridges 26 that cross the ridges 24.

According to the invention at least some of the ridges 24 and some of the ridges 26 are fitted with or molded around rectangular- or square-section fiber glass rods 28 or 30. As mentioned, these rods can be molded into the thermoplastic of the respective ridges 24 or 26. Alternately, these ridges 24 and 26 can be formed with throughgoing passages into which the rods 28 and 30 are fitted after molding and curing of the sheet 22 with the integral ridges 24 and 26.

Thus these side panels 12, which take a considerable beating in use of the suitcase 10, are solidly reinforced but can be made at very low cost. Most of each side panel is formed by a very inexpensive resin while the rods 28 and 30 can also be made separately at relatively low cost even though they are very strong. The result is an assembly having considerable strength and a low construction cost. 

1. A suitcase comprising: a plurality of walls at least one of which is rigid, the walls defining a storage space, the one wall being formed of a side panel of relatively soft moldable plastic and a plurality of fiber-glass rods imbedded in the panel and rigidifying it.
 2. The suitcase defined in claim 1 wherein the suitcase has two such similar side panels extending parallel to and spaced from each other.
 3. The suitcase defined in claim 2 wherein the suitcase has a rigid top panel bridging upper ends of the side panels and a rigid bottom panel bridging lower ends of the side panels.
 4. The suitcase defined in claim 3, further comprising wheels secured at the lower ends of the side panels.
 5. The suitcase defined in claim 1 wherein the side panel is formed with integral ridges, the fiber-glass rods being imbedded in the ridges.
 6. The suitcase defined in claim 5 wherein the ridges including longitudinal ridges and transverse ridges.
 7. The suitcase defined in claim 5 wherein the rods are of rectangular section.
 8. The suitcase defined in claim 1 wherein the panel is made of polypropylene or polyethylene, the rods being of a harder and stronger resin reinforced with glass fibers.
 9. The suitcase defined in claim 1, further comprising guides extending parallel to but offset from the side panel; and a telescoping handle fitted to the guides and slidable therealong between extended and retracted positions. 